how to pep up the mx400?

[Tipnmo101]

I was on a buget for building a computer.... and i went with the mx400 (now i am starting to regret)...... the computer specs are

1.4 p4
512 megs of ram
40 gig barracuda IV
mx400

with 3dmark2001 i get 2500... i get about 30 fps less then with my gts (t-bird @950 256 ram)

The factor setting for the mx400 are
core: 175
memory: 143

now what can i do to pep up the mx400.... and can i get noticable gains.... or am i stuck with having to buy a different card?

thx

 

[novice]

If your memory clock is only 143, which MX 400 are you running? Is it one of the DDR 64 bit bus versions? My old Creative Annihilator Geforce 2 MX had that configuration and it was soundly spanked by the A-Open PA256 MX with sdram and the 128 bit bus. You may be able to overclock your memory to gain a bit of a boost. My A-Open MX ran with the memory clocked at 200 Mhz with just the factory heasink. But probably the best solution is the Visiontek geforce 2 GTS-V from newegg for $65 plus $5 shipping, if you are on a budget, and if your budget is bigger than mine, the Leadtek Geforce 3 Ti 200 for around $170 from the same place. Take your pick. I have read numerous rave or at least solid reviews of the GTS-V card, most will overclock to regular GTS levels. They come clocked at 175 core and 286 memory, but will spank any MX card due to the far greater memory bandwidth (4.7 gb vs 2.8 gb) and most apparently run 200/333 effortlessly for the standard GTS 5.3 gb bandwidth. It is hard for me to imagine why anyone would go for an MX card when these are available. (Still in stock, but better hurry)
Chuck

 

[Tipnmo101]

i may have to do that... but it wouldn't be here in time for xmas 🙁 .... does anyone know an average for o/c the mx card (tell i can get a replacement)... thx

 

[GT1999]

It depends on the timings for the RAM on your card.

Retail MX400's usually are 5.5ns and are speced at 183Mhz and can usually do 200 if not more. But if it's an MX200 or some OEM card, they are usually shipped with lower speed RAM and won't overclock as high.

 

[mfufu]

U should get a new bios ..... mabye the nvidia mx2-400 bios

 

[Barnaby W. Füi]

dude comparing a gts and an mx is like comparing a corvette to an escort 😛

 

[Bovinicus]

First, fully update your drivers. Then, download a tweaking utility such as RivaTuner. This will allow you to overclock and tweak for speed or quality. Don't worry about the average overclock for MX cards. The range is too broad. Just overclock in 5 MHz incriments. Once you start having problems (Artifacts/Errors), back down by 2 MHz or so until the problems are resolved. Wait some time before you try to bump up the speed more too. Let the memory "settle in" at each speed before you raise it. Good luck, I hope you break some overclocking records.

 

[oldfart]

I doesn't help get your MX400 tweaked, but if you want to replace it with another budget card, the VisionTek GTS-V from Newegg is a good deal. Its a full GF2 GTS that is clocked @ 175/286 instead of 200/333 like a normal GTS. The card will easily clock up to the normal speed (and more). You can get it for $65.